Me and My House--July 2010

We enjoyed a wonderful week at Saranac Lake in upstate NY, arriving home Sunday. The party celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary came together nicely, and included seven surprise guests, a delicious catered meal, and a slide show put together by my dad.

Here's what's new:

• I'm easing back into a routine--laundry, groceries, cooking, etc. Must move on to something beyond the basics: school planning? blogging? daily mass (went today, anyway)? weight lifting?
• Len has plenty to do at work. Summer is his busiest time and there's lots of paperwork to catch up on, too.
• Lauren stayed at my sister's house in MD (on our way home) to spend a few days at her internship. Now she's in Richmond packing up the apartment in preparation to move out Friday. Next week she may go visit another sister in NY. Quite the traveler, not even counting her September departure for EUROPE!
• David visited SMCM (with Len and me) yesterday for a "New Student Day." Parents and students had mostly different schedules, but I was glad to spend time on campus. My only other visit had included the homeschoolers, when we spent our time at historical sites instead of at the school.
• Daniel is now taller than Lauren; he'll pass me soon. Next month he'll begin a two week engineering internship at Walter Reed in DC.
• One of Joseph's best friends has been living in Singapore for a year and half. He's in the USA for a short visit, eagerly awaited by Joe. Next week he'll (J) be off to NC for Boy Scout camp.
• Marianna went straight from Saranac to Mimi and Granddad's house to continue visiting with her FL cousin. We expect her back this weekend, just in time for Irish Dance camp.
• Rebecca is still in vacation mode, staying up too late and not practicing piano. ;-) She's been sleeping on my bedroom floor since her roommate is out of town.
• Dusty is extremely happy to be back home with us (wagwagwagjumpjumpjumpwrigglewag). Len just took him out for his final outing of the day, and he ran right past a skunk! There were a few tense moments while we waited to see if he'd come in by the (safe) back door. All is well. Whew!
• Emma is her usual cat self: out and about or lounging inside, and nearly always aloof.

Summer is never as mellow as I expect, but we're enjoying our less structured life.